Rattlesnakes

Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes, genera Crotalus and Sistrurus. They belong to the subfamily of venomous snakes known commonly as pit vipers.

There are approximately thirty species of rattlesnake, with numerous subspecies. They receive their name for the rattle located at the end of their tails. The rattle is used as a warning device when threatened. Most rattlesnakes mate in the spring. All species give live birth, rather than laying eggs. The young are self-sufficient from birth. Since they do not need their mother after birth, the mother does not remain with her young. However, at least one captive study has demonstrated that females and their neonates show some level of affinity for each other's company and will cross barriers to reunite if separated.

Contrary to popular myth, rattlesnakes are not deaf. In fact, the structure of their inner ears is very much like that of other reptiles. They do, however, lack external ears. Sound (whether from air or ground vibration) is transmitted to the snake's inner ear via bone and muscle.

Crotalus

• Eastern diamondback rattlesnake C. adamanteus (Palisot de Beauvois, 1799)
• Querétaro dusky rattlesnake C. aquilus (Klauber, 1952)
• Western diamondback rattlesnake C. atrox (Baird & Girard, 1853)
• Mexican west coast rattlesnake C. basiliscus (Cope, 1864)
• Santa Catalina rattlesnake C. catalinensis (Cliff, 1954)
• Sidewinder C. cerastes (Hallowell, 1854)
  • Mojave Desert sidewinder C. c. cerastes (Hallowell, 1854)
  • Sonoran Desert sidewinder C. c. cercobombus (Savage & Cliff, 1953)
  • Colorado Desert sidewinder C. c. laterorepens (Klauber, 1944)
• South American rattlesnake C. durissus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Venezuelan rattlesnake C. d. cumanensis (Humboldt, 1833)
  • South American rattlesnake C. d. durissus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Marajon rattlesnake C. d. marajoensis (Hoge, 1966)
  • C. d. maricelae (García Pérez, 1995)
  • C. d. ruruima (Hoge, 1966)
  • Cascavel C. d. terrificus (Laurenti, 1768)
  • C. d. trigonicus (Harris & Simmons, 1978)
  • Aruba Island rattlesnake C. d. unicolor (Lidth de Jeude, 1887)
  • Uracoan rattlesnake C. d. vegrandis (Klauber, 1941)
• Baja California rattlesnake C. enyo (Cope, 1861)
  • Cerralvo Island rattlesnake C. e. cerralvensis (Cliff, 1954)
  • Lower California rattlesnake C. e. enyo (Cope, 1861)
  • Rosario rattlesnake C. e. furvus (Lowe & Norris, 1954)
• Timber rattlesnake C. horridus (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Mexican small-headed rattlesnakeC. intermedius (Troschel, 1865)
  • Totalcan small-headed rattlesnakeC. i. intermedius (Troschel, 1865)
  • Oaxacan small-headed rattlesnakeC. i. gloydi (Taylor, 1941)
  • Omilteman small-headed rattlesnakeC. i. omiltemanus (Günther, 1895)
• Autlán rattlesnake C. lannomi (Tanner, 1966)
• Rock rattlesnake C. lepidus (Kennicott, 1861)
  • Banded Rock Rattlesnake C. l. klauberi (Gloyd, 1936)
  • Mottled Rock RattlesnakeC. l. lepidus (Kennicott, 1861)
  • Durango Rock rattlesnake C. l. maculosus (Tanner, Dixon & Harris, 1972)
  • Tamaulipan Rock rattlesnake C. l. morulus (Klauber, 1952)
• Speckled rattlesnake C. mitchellii (Cope, 1861)
  • Angel de la Guarda Island speckled rattlesnake C. m. angelensis (Klauber, 1963)
  • San Lucan speckled rattlesnake C. m. mitchellii (Cope, 1861)
  • El Muerto Island speckled rattlesnake C. m. muertensis (Klauber, 1949)
  • Southwestern speckled rattlesnake C. m. pyrrhus (Cope, 1866)
  • Panamint rattlesnake C. m. stephensi (Klauber, 1930)
• Black-tailed rattlesnake C. molossus (Baird & Girard, 1853)
  • San Esteban Island black-tailed rattlesnake C. m. estebanensis (Klauber, 1949)
  • Northern black-tailed rattlesnake C. m. molossus (Baird & Girard, 1853)
  • Mexican black-tailed rattlesnake C. m. nigrescens (Gloyd, 1936)
  • Oaxacan black-tailed rattlesnake C. m. oaxacus (Gloyd, 1948)
• Western rattlesnake C. oreganus Holbrook, 1840)
  • Grand Canyon rattlesnake C. o. abyssus (Klauber, 1930)
  • Coronado Island rattlesnake C. o. caliginis (Klauber, 1949 )
  • Arizona black rattlesnake C. o. cerberus (Coues In Wheeler, 1875)
  • Midget faded rattlesnake C. o. concolor (Woodbury, 1929)
  • Southern Pacific rattlesnake C. o. helleri (Meek, 1905)
  • Great Basin rattlesnake C. o. lutosus (Klauber, 1930)
  • Northern Pacific rattlesnake C. o. oreganus (Holbrook, 1840)
• Mexican lance-headed rattlesnake C. polystictus (Cope, 1865)
• Twin-spotted rattlesnakeC. pricei (Van Denburgh, 1895)
  • Eastern twin-spotted rattlesnake C. p. miquihuanus (Gloyd, 1940)
  • Western twin-spotted rattlesnake C. p. pricei (Van Denburgh, 1895)
• Tancitaran dusky rattlesnake C. pusillus (Klauber, 1952)
• Red diamond rattlesnake C. ruber (Cope, 1892)
  • Cedros Island diamond rattlesnake C. r. exsul (Garman, 1884)
  • San Lorenzo Island rattlesnake C. r. lorenzoensis (Radcliff & Maslin, 1975)
  • San Lucan diamond rattlesnake C. r. lucasensis (Van Denburgh, 1920)
  • Red diamond rattlesnake C. r. ruber (Cope, 1892)
• Mohave rattlesnake C. scutulatus (Kennicott, 1861)
  • Huamantlan rattlesnake C. s. salvini (Günther, 1895)
  • Mohave rattlesnake C. s. scutulatus (Kennicott, 1861)
• Middle American rattlesnake C. simus (Latreille In Sonnini & Latreille, 1801)
  • Northwestern neotropical rattlesnake C. s. culminatus (Klauber, 1952)
  • Central American rattlesnake C. s. simus (Latreille In Sonnini & Latreille, 1801)
  • Yucatán neotropical rattlesnake C. s. tzabcan (Klauber, 1952)
• Long-tailed rattlesnake C. stejnegeri (Dunn, 1919)
• Tiger rattlesnake C. tigris (Kennicott In Baird, 1859)
• Tortuga island diamond rattlesnake C. tortugensis (Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921)
• Totonacan rattlesnake C. totonacus (Gloyd & Kauffeld, 1940)
• Cross-banded mountain rattlesnake C. transversus (Taylor, 1944)
• Mexican dusky rattlesnake C. triseriatus (Wagler, 1830)
  • Western dusky rattlesnake C. t. armstrongi Campbell, 1979)
  • Dusky rattlesnake C. t. triseriatus (Wagler, 1830)
• Prairie rattlesnake C. viridis (Rafinesque, 1818)
  • Hopi rattlesnake C. v. nuntius (Klauber, 1935)
  • Prairie rattlesnake C. v. viridis (Rafinesque, 1818)
• Ridge-nosed rattlesnake C. willardi (Meek, 1905)
  • Del Nido ridge-nosed rattlesnake C. w. amabilis (Anderson, 1962)
  • Southern ridge-nosed rattlesnake C. w. meridionalis (Klauber, 1949)
  • Animas ridge-nosed rattlesnake C. w. obscurus (Harris & Simmons, 1974)
  • Chihuahuan ridge-nosed rattlesnake C. w. silus (Klauber, 1949)
  • Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake C. w. willardi (Meek, 1905)

• Massasauga S. catenatus (Rafinesque, 1818)
  • Eastern Massasauga S. c. catenatus (Rafinesque, 1818)
  • Desert Massasauga S. c. edwardsii (Baird & Girard, 1853)
  • Western Massasauga S. c. tergeminus (Say, 1823)
• Pigmy rattlesnake S. miliarius (Linnaeus, 1766)
  • Dusky pigmy rattlesnake S. m. barbouri (Gloyd, 1935)
  • Carolina pigmy rattlesnake S. m. miliarius (Linnaeus, 1766)
  • Western pigmy rattlesnakeS. m. streckeri (Gloyd, 1935)
• Mexican pigmy rattlesnake S. ravus (Cope, 1865)
  • Oaxacan pigmy rattlesnake S. r. brunneus (Harris & Simmons, 1977)
  • Guerreran pigmy rattlesnake S. r. exiguus (Campbell & Armstrong, 1979)
  • Central Mexican pigmy rattlesnake S. r. ravus (Cope, 1865)

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